Leaders from rival Kurdish groups look to mend ties during Syria upheaval

IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — The leaders of two previously rival Kurdish groups met in northern Iraq on Thursday in an apparent step toward reconciliation at a time when the political upheaval in Syria has left Kurds in the region facing an uncertain future.

Hoshyar Zebari, a senior Kurdistan Democratic Party official, described the meeting between KDP leader Masoud Barzani and Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, as a “significant achievement to strengthen Kurdish unity and position” during Syria’s transitional phase.

The meeting in Irbil, the capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq, came weeks after the fall of the government of former Syrian President Bashar Assad in a lightning offensive by insurgent groups and amid an intensified campaign by Turkey-backed armed groups against Kurdish forces in northeast Syria.

There was no official statement from the KDP or SDF regarding the meeting.

A senior KDP member, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to brief journalists, said that the talks between Barzani and Abdi focused on unifying the Kurdish position within Syria and exploring ways to separate the SDF from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, a Kurdish separatist militant group designated a terrorist organization by Turkey. He said that the KDP leader had argued that such a move could open doors for broader international support, particularly through KDP’s relationships with both the United States and Turkey.

The official said that Barzani had also stressed the importance of presenting a united Kurdish front in Syria to negotiate with the new de facto Syrian government from a position of strength. He said that Kurdish political gains in Iraq, including constitutional recognition, could serve as a model for Syria’s Kurds.

The Kurdish-led SDF, which have controlled northeast Syria for the past decade, is under attack from the Syrian National Army, an umbrella of militias fighting on behalf of Turkey, which regards the SDF as an extension of the PKK.

At the same time, talks between politicians from Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party and jailed Kurdish leaders have been gathering steam as they try to end 40 years of fighting between the state and the PKK.

In the security vacuum of Syria’s new leaders trying to form a new national army following the fall of Assad, there are concerns about a resurgence of the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. Kurdish forces have played a key role in the fight against the militant group in both countries.

The regional developments have created growing pressure for Kurdish factions to set aside their political differences.

Earlier this week, Barzani’s envoy, Hamid Darbandi, met with Abdi in Hasaka, in northeastern Syria. The KDP in Iraq has friendly relations with Turkey and has been at odds with the SDF and other groups aligned with the PKK.

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Qassim Abdul-Zahra reported from Baghdad.